Matt Kennedy+: House Rules: Why Expulsion is Not Impossible
It's actually pretty easy...
June 24, 6:50 am

There is a rather common assumption out there (supported by quite a lot of official spin) with regard to the power of Anglican Communion that, having been repeated ten thousand times, has begun to congeal into a sort of accepted truth. Take a look at this excerpt from an AP article entitled, Breaking up still no simple matter for embattled Anglicans.So what's holding up the big crumble? For one, there is no structure within the communion to expel a member church.

Anglican tradition is based on broad-brush inclusion built around common prayer and worship styles. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan William acts as the spiritual leader, but has no power to punish or make doctrine. "There's no way to really stop someone from being an Anglican," said Paul Handley, editor of the Church Times, a London-based weekly that covers Anglican affairs.

This leaves conservatives facing a decision on whether to walk out on their own. The threats are there, but so are the consequences.Certainly any organization can call itself "Anglican." There is no way to stop it. But that is quite different from actually "being" Anglican. the rest